What Makes a Good Man? (3)
by Blue KAZ
Summary: Castiel and the Eighth Doctor go off on an adventure. The sequel to The First Hunt.
1. Chapter 1

What Makes A Good Man?

Summary: Castiel and the Eighth Doctor go off on an adventure.

Disclaimer: I own neither Supernatural nor Doctor Who.

XXX

At first glance, it would appear as though the Victorian parlor were having an earthquake. Books were shaking or falling off the shelves, candles were throwing wax everywhere, threatening to light the tables and papers on fire. A glass bowl filled with jelly babies teetered on the edge of a table, just barely hanging on for dear life.

All the while, a tall man with brown, slightly curled hair dressed in a set of jeans and a dark blue leather jacket bounced all around a tall structure with buttons, switches and a large column that stood near the center of the room, fidgeting with said buttons and switches in a vein effort to keep the machine steady.

"We, of course, have several options at our disposal," The Time Lord known as The Doctor was saying as he struggled to keep his balance, "We could go to Woman Wept! What a lovely planet, so peaceful and artful. We could try Pryon or Pyrovilia, the people there are quite interesting, rock creatures. Or we could go home, to Gallifrey-"

The Doctor paused in his thoughts, clinging to the console as his TARDIS shook through the vortex, completely stunned as he witnessed something that challenged everything he had ever seen.

An equally tall man stood in a dark suit with a blue tie and a trench coat...stood, as in completely still, like a statue. Even as the world around him shook mercilessly in a way that would put everyone on edge, this man was calmly, serenely staring at the console, a look of mild fascination masking his face.

"Doctor?" the being known as Castiel called out.

The Time Lord blinked, recovering from his shock long enough to simply hit a button, "Right, well, I've decided to simply set it on random. No point in knowing where you're going all the time, not that I do. Howww are you doing that?"

Castiel spared him an odd look, "Doing what?"

"The time vortex is one of the most harrowing paths a man can take," The Doctor stated, "Yet you stand here, a veritable rock stood at the shores of the squall. No one can do that."

Castiel blinked, "Um..."

"Who are you, Castiel? Dean was a human, and you appear human, but no human could do what you do."

Castiel scanned the room for a moment, as though he were considering his answer before he simply sighed and said, "Spoilers."

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow, "Spoilers? What do you mean by that?"

"It means that if I tell you, bad things will happen," Castiel explained, "At least, that's what Dean says."

"Oh, yes, the laws of time and all that," The Doctor waved it away, "Funnily enough, I've never been much for following the law!"

Castiel quirked a small smile, "Your face may change, Doctor, but evidently you do not."

The Doctor laughed, "I should hope not. Why break something that isn't fixed?"

Castiel blinked, "I'm not sure that's-"

The shaking came to a sudden end, slamming The Doctor violently into the console. Castiel, of course, remained unmoved.

The Time Lord rose to his feet quickly, fiddling with several of the dials and producing an image on his screen. It was what appeared to be a town square with several species of aliens and humanoid beings moving about.

"Oh, wonderful," The Doctor smiled, "We're on Dronid! I love Dronid."

"Drornid," Castiel corrected idly, looking at the screen in fascination, "There was a misprint in _Bartholomew's Planetary Gazetteer_ that-"

"Yes, I'm aware," The Doctor interrupted, a little miffed at the correction, "How do you know that?"

"I was stationed here for a while," Castiel explained, "A nice reprieve from Earth."

The Doctor spared him another odd look before nodding, "Well, if you've been here before, surely you can find your way around without me for a moment."

"Where are you going?" Castiel asked as The Doctor turned and made his way towards the back of the ship.

"Well, I look quite the fright, now don't I?" The Doctor stated, "Can't put in an appearance on a Gallifreyan colony looking like this. I'll be back in a minute."

Castiel nodded, turning and making his way for the double doors. He paused when he reached them. To the angel, it was very odd to be in the TARDIS and not have the doors look like the outside of a police box, but each Doctor had their own style, after all. He did find himself missing The Doctor they knew best. That Doctor had so much hardship in his life. He'd survived the Time War, the war that the man he was currently traveling with would one day in his future find himself fighting. He'd survived losing Rose, survived losing his home, though he clearly suffered greatly for this loss. He didn't show it all that much, but The Doctor was in pain every day, separated from his only true companion. His clothes had grown a bit darker, his face a little leaner and with a fair amount of scruff. This Doctor was put together well, clearly at ease. It did the angel good to see his friend like this, even if he wasn't quite his friend yet.

Putting aside thoughts of his troubles, Castiel opened the doors and stepped outside. It was snowing, but Castiel could easily see that it was engineered snow, designed to coincide with a festival of some sort. The street very much so resembled something from England's Victorian era, with cobblestone roads and fancifully decorated houses, though the flying cars and various species gathered on the streets dispelled such thoughts. Some of the houses were bronze metal or concrete, but a large number were a jade green crystal. The street lights were hovering in the air, brilliant orbs of light that did very well to illuminate the night. Banners with the Seal of Rassilon fluttered from every lamp post, flying high in the breeze. Time Lords and Ladies walked amongst the aliens and Gallifreyans regally, dressed in their crimson robes which bade others to let them by. It humbled the angel to realize that, soon enough, these people would no longer be.

Even so, to Castiel, it was brilliant. Lucifer threatened not just Earth, but all of life itself. Humans, Daleks and Time Lords alike would share the same fate. Lucifer would destroy everything that was not angel, all to make a universe where he would rule. Even now, in a post-Time War universe, he could undo it all. But first, there would be Earth. They had to succeed there, before he could take his war out to the stars and end anything that he hated.

"Ah, here we are."

Castiel turned his head, finding The Doctor by his side. He was dressed in a pair of tan pants and a bronze vest, with brown Army boots and a green trench coat. He appeared every bit the Time Lord he was, regally dressed and, yet, in contrast to his crimson brethren. To complete his look, he had a blue ascot secured around his neck.

"I realize the blue doesn't quite work, but what can I say?" The Doctor lovingly patted the TARDIS, "Something borrowed, something blue, yes?"

Castiel blinked, "Isn't that for weddings?"

"Well, the old girl is very much so that, isn't she?" The Doctor remarked, taking his eyes off his home and examining the world around them, "Oh, blimey, all these banners. I apologize, Castiel, so many of my fellow Time Lords just act like we're already at war."

Castiel said nothing at all. He was too afraid of letting something slip.

"I must say, it is nice to be among my people but away from Gallifrey," The Doctor folded his hands behind his back and started strolling down the road with Castiel beside him.

"I've seen Gallifrey before," Castiel explained, "I found it very red and...shiny."

"We are a very colorful people, I suppose," The Doctor remarked, "Still-"

The two came to a sudden stop as a sound echoed out down an alleyway, followed immediately by a scream. The Doctor wasted no time in springing to action, sprinting towards the sound with Castiel right behind him. The angel was tempted to simply fly to the sound, but he didn't want to push The Doctor too far.

The duo navigated the complicated series of streets until they came to an empty side street, where The Doctor came to a stop.

"Blast," The Doctor panted slightly, "I know the sound was around here."

Castiel frowned, sniffing the air lightly, "Doctor?"

The Doctor took an experimental sniff and let loose a frown of his own, "No...it couldn't possibly-"

The same metallic sound echoed out, this time from nearby. The two ran towards it as fast as they could, arriving at a dead end where a smoldering hole in a crystal wall could be seen.

"So it was always like this with you," the angel commented as he and the Time Lord stood before the hole.

"You make me sound like such a bother," The Doctor shot back with a smile, withdrawing his sonic screwdriver and scanning the crystal wall.

Castiel cast him an odd look, "You're not going after it?"

"Not without some details, no," The Doctor explained, "Contrary to popular belief, I don't always go head first into the deep end."

The Doctor finished scanning the wall, a deep frown crossing his features. He stood up and cautiously entered the hole, with Castiel just behind him. The inside of the building appeared to be a large warehouse, filled with metal crates and loading equipment, each marked with the Seal of Rassilon and a second Gallifreyan symbol.

"That's the military's symbol," The Doctor muttered, "In a civilian section?"

Castiel cast his gaze around the warehouse for a moment before taking another sniff of the air. He moved off to the side as The Doctor began sonicing the nearest box attempting to open it.

"Wonderful," The Doctor sighed, "Ever since deadlock became popular, I've had a Hell of a time breaking locks."

"Doctor!"

The Time Lord rushed towards Castiel, slowing slightly at the sight of his companion. He was bent over the form of a Gallifreyan soldier, dressed in battle armor with a stazer rifle by his side. There was a hole that penetrated the armor at his midsection, as well as the soldier, all the way through to the other side.

"Blimey," The Doctor knelt down, examining the body, "That wasn't stazer fire."

"He's wearing the same Seal," Castiel noted.

"He's a soldier," The Doctor explained, "A lieutenant, if I'm not mistaken."

"FREEZE!"

The Doctor and Castiel rose as one, watching as a squadron of soldiers moved through the hole in the hall, rifles trailing along their bodies. They were each dressed in the same armor as the victim.

Castiel glanced at each one, easily determining ways to outmatch them, but The Doctor had another idea. He calmly folded his hands behind his back and approached the young soldier who appeared to be in command.

"Good afternoon, commander. We're just a pair of travelers wandering through and found ourselves in a spot of bother. Would you be so good as to escort us to your commanding officers?"

The commander gave him a odd glance, "Doctor, isn't it?"

"Right in one!" The Doctor agreed.

The commander nodded, lowering his weapon and turning away from them to open a communicator. Castiel eyed him warily as the The Doctor merely smiled, acting for all the world that everything was fine.

"What are we doing, Doctor? We should go."

"And miss this opportunity to be captured? Not on your life!"

"I've never found much tactical advantage in being captured, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled thinly, "It's called intelligence gathering, mate."

Comprehension dawned on Castiel as the commander returned to them, raising his weapon back up again.

"We're received orders to escort you to a more secure location," the commander sneered, "Come with us, Lord President."

"What, I don't get a limo?" The Doctor inquired, scoffing slightly, "Budget cuts, I apologize Castiel. By all means, good sir, lead on!"

The commander scoffed but turned and had his men surround the two men, escorting them out of the warehouse towards the street.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Castiel asked, idly noting that he had asked this question several times before.

"If we're lucky," The Doctor replied.


	2. Chapter 2

The two were promptly transmatted to a secure location, though neither were quite sure where to. Castiel was deposited into a large, gray room with no tables or chairs. In fact, the room itself was completely barren, with no visible windows or doors. To most eyes, it was a box that provided no obvious avenues for escape.

But Castiel was like no being they had seen before. As such, he was immediately aware that they had been transmatted to a place several miles above the planet's surface. The box was actually a hologram, produced by several projectors that were guarded over by six soldiers and one officer, each dressed in that same battle armor that all Gallifreyan soldiers wore. The officer, though, was dressed in one that bore gold bands with Gallifreyan writing on them.

He could also see another hologram box several yards away from him, and though he couldn't see through it, he was certain The Doctor was held within. He could very easily escape this box, overwhelm the guards and rescue the Time Lord, even with his diminished powers. But The Doctor had purposefully lead them here and wanted to gather intelligence from their captors...so the angel waited until he knew it was time.

XXX

The Doctor turned on his heel, idly noting the box that he had been placed in was holographic. They had been waiting for more than an hour now, but The Doctor wasn't worried. If he wasn't mistaken, he should have company any moment now.

"The last time we met," The Doctor turned around, finding himself confronted by a gold wearing officer with black hair and a thin frame, "You had been charged with transporting a criminal from Skaro."

"Castellan," The Doctor muttered, "I recall the mission you Celestials had for me. Transport my best enemy, The Master, from Skaro to Gallifrey."

"Much like that simple mission, you went and bungled this one up," The Castellan sighed, sitting in an ornate chair that appeared out of nowhere, "The renegade Time Lord, The Doctor. There are civilizations throughout all of time and space that know your name, Doctor, and they fear you. The sound of your obsolete TARDIS has become synonymous with the Time Lords, a sound of which we are not appreciative. And here you are, a mere stones throw from Gallifrey, with another human in toe. An especially odd one at that."

"Tell me something I don't know," The Doctor smiled, "Still, what's so odd about him?"

The Castellan gestured to The Doctor to sit in the basic metal chair. The Doctor smiled and thanked him as he did so.

"He's in his mid thirties, by Sol standards," The Castellan spoke as The Doctor reached into his pocket and produced a bag, "Remarkable health, and I do mean remarkable."

"Jelly baby?" The Doctor offered.

The Castellan shot him a dirty look, "Your companion, Doctor, is in optimal health for a human being. In the simplest of terms, it's as though he was just born. His body shows no signs of wear and tear, no injuries. Is he a duplicate or clone?"

"Quite possibly," The Doctor answered honestly, "Why don't you tell me?"

"He's human, as far as we can tell," The Castellan declared, "Regardless, Doctor, we're quibbling about trifles when we have a much larger concern. Why are you hindering our investigation?"

"Honestly, we were just out for a laugh."

The Castellan groaned, "Doctor, your lack of patriotism aside, you are one of the most capable minds the society of Time Lords has ever produced. I'm asking you, truthfully, with abject sincerity...what have you learned?"

The Doctor leveled his fellow Time Lord with a discerning gaze, examining him thoroughly. This officer before him was being very true with him, something the renegade Time Lord appreciated. He was wanting his honest opinion of the matter, and that spoke volumes to The Doctor.

"There's a Dalek loose in the colony."

"A Dalek?" The Castellan sputtered, "Ridiculous! Drornid would be in flames as we speak and the war between the Time Lords and the Daleks would have begun!"

"My thoughts precisely," The Doctor agreed, "Yet, the sound that set Castiel and myself on this chase was very clearly a Dalek weapon. The distinct smell of it flowed through the areas of our investigation. When I scanned the wall it had blasted through, the energy signature matched those of a Dalek energy weapon. With that evidence, I am forced to my conclusion. And yet, there is the matter of your dead soldier."

"Doctor-"

"He was pierced by a great blunt force," The Doctor ignored the interruption, "That is not standard for a Dalek. Why such brutality when there are so many more efficient methods at its disposal? And you are correct, Castellan...if there were a Dalek here, this colony would have been razed to the ground."

The Castellan let loose a weary sigh, "If you believe there is a Dalek loose, what would you recommend?"

"Evacuate the colony, immediately," The Doctor declared, "The only reason they aren't dead yet is unknown to us, and it would behoove us to make good use of the time we have."

The Castellan shook his head, "We are on the brink of war, Doctor. Declaring an emergency great enough to evacuate one of Gallifrey's prized colonies could be enough to push us over the edge."

The Doctor had to admit, he had not considered that. With that in mind, he made another suggestion, "Then we investigate, discretely. Put all the soldiers on alert, let me and my friend investigate."

"Not alone," The Castellan stipulated, "It's not that I don't trust you, Doctor, but...I really don't trust you."

"Well...needs must."

The Castellan rose to his feet, "I'll have your friend brought to you-"

"No need."

The Doctor and Castellan turned in shock, with The Castellan raising his stazer pistol. Both were absolutely dumbfounded to find Castiel standing inside the room, that same look of calm on his face.

"You were only a few yards away," Castiel explained, "I could hear everything."

The box faded away, revealing a large, black room, filled with soldiers in battle armor, each one trailing their weapon on Castiel. He glanced at them idly before returning his attention to The Doctor.

"Where do we begin?"


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor was on his knees as he ran his sonic screwdriver over the soldier, mentally blocking out the smell of the body. He was a doctor, after all, and all doctors saw death eventually. He could not, however, block out his latest companion. He was proving to be his most diverting yet.

Castiel appeared content to simply monitor the area, dividing his attention between the surrounding area and the body. The Castellan stood across from him, dividing his own attention between the body and Castiel himself.

"Can Castiel cast off The Castellan?" The Doctor muttered with a small smile, "Try saying that three times fast."

"What purpose would that serve?" Castiel inquired.

"It's an expression," The Castellan snarked.

Castiel shot The Castellan a sideways glance before returning his attention to The Doctor, "What have you found?"

"Metal," The Doctor declared, using his screwdriver to manipulate the shard away from the body.

"From the armor?" The Castellan knelt down beside the body.

"I shouldn't think so," The Doctor stated, "It's not red."

"Can you identify it?" The Castellan asked.

The Doctor shook his head. The Time Lords looked lost for a moment until Castiel reached out and took the metal from The Doctor, holding it up to his nose.

"Dalekanium," the angel declared, "A silver-colored variant."

The Castellan shot him a wary glance, "You, a human, can tell that from the smell when a Time Lord cannot?"

Castiel looked between them timidly, "The nose...knows?"

The Doctor cracked a smile, "Oh, my dear Castiel, you are very quickly becoming my favorite. So! We've now got incontestable proof of a Dalek presence on Dronid, and yes, I know, that's not its correct name, but sue me, I prefer it to Drornid, such a bore! We know that most Daleks prefer a light blue, black or bronze variant, very rarely silver! Judging by the amount of force used, it would seem as though something drove a Dalekanium spear or rod through this soldier."

"Hardly the standard battle tactics of a Dalek," The Castellan noted.

"Agreed," The Doctor said, rising to his feet, "I'm beginning to think we're not dealing with a Dalek."

"What makes you say that?" Castiel asked.

"The height," The Doctor stated, "This soldier stands at roughly 1.75 meters in height, and this hole is centered just above the waistline. A Dalek stands at roughly 1.5 meters, so why reach down to puncture someone when you can simply go for their chest?"

"You wouldn't," The Castellan nodded in agreement, "So you believe this is a puppet?"

"Perhaps," The Doctor frowned, folding his arms in thought, "Perhaps a puppet on a fact finding mission, gathering intelligence? But why here? Castellan, why are all these supplies here?"

"I've brought that up with the Council, but no answer is forthcoming. It would...Doctor, have I your word that you will keep this to yourself?"

The Doctor shot a glance at Castiel. The angel was not sure what to do in this scenario, so he decided his best option was to simply nod. The Doctor turned back to his fellow Time Lord and smiled, gesturing for him to continue.

"The Council are aware of the situation, but they have yet to do anything about it," The Castellan frowned and ran a hand through his hair, "It's as if they're...stalling."

The Doctor glanced back at the supplies before asking, "Castellan, as the highest ranking officer in the Guard, you would be aware of any military actions, yes?"

"Things have changed," The Castellan told him with a frown, "The Celestials no longer answer to me, for example."

"Blimey," The Doctor muttered, stunned, "The Celestials meddle far too much with time and space, they need some oversight."

"We say that about you, funnily enough," The Castellan smirked, earning a scoff from The Doctor, "But I see where you're going, Doctor. The Celestials could easily be involved somehow, but regardless, we have a much higher priority."

The Doctor nodded in agreement, turning to his new companion, "Castiel, do you know anything about the Dalek puppets?"

Castiel frowned, "I've never personally encountered one, but I know the basics. A Dalek nanocloud infiltrates a host and manipulates their body and mind until it is reformed as a Dalek...what?"

Both The Doctor and The Castellan were staring at him with looks of horror on their faces. The Doctor turned away and held up his sonic screwdriver, scanning the air as thoroughly as he could.

"Nothing," The Doctor confirmed after a moment, "Blimey, Castiel, you know how to scare a person. Alright, so, it's a nanocloud in the future. As far as I was aware, the process of creating a Dalek puppet was much more involved, but things have changed."

"You, human," The Castellan marched up to the angel, "How do you know this?"

"...Spoilers."

"What in the bloody Hell does that mean?!"

"He's from my future time line," The Doctor told him, a little timidly.

The Castellan slowly turned to face his fellow Time Lord, a look of abject rage covering his features, "You...a Time Lord...would dare to bring someone with knowledge of future events with you in your stolen, obsolete TARDIS?! Oh, how far you have fallen, Doctor."

"If we could please get back to the problem at hand," The Doctor suggested, "We have a small Dalek puppet on the loose in a Time Lord colony. We really must find it, before anyone else is harmed."

"Agreed," Castiel said.

The Castellan reluctantly nodded, reaching into his armor to withdraw a small communicator, "Attend to my location."

Within seconds, a duo of Gallifreyan soldiers transmatted to the warehouse.

"We have a possible incursion on our hands," The Castellan stated, "I want complete discretion, no one is to learn of this. All soldiers are to travel in pairs, armed at all times. If you encounter anything suspicious involving someone of smaller stature, isolate and contain them. It is possible they are our target."

"And if they are?"

The Castellan growled, "Terminate with extreme prejudice."

Castiel noted the look that dawned on The Doctor's face. As soon as the words left his mouth, The Doctor made his way over to The Castellan.

"What nonsense is this?" The Doctor demanded, "We're talking about someone who has been turned into a puppet against their will! We owe it to them, to ourselves, to do everything we can to save them."

"We haven't the time or the luxury of high morals," The Castellan stated, "If it is a puppet, and it is a nanocloud, it could spread like an infection, contaminating the entire colony and turning them into Daleks as well."

"If we arbitrarily kill them, we become Daleks ourselves!"

"Doctor," Castiel laid a hand on the Time Lord's shoulder, "I'm afraid he's right. A leader must protect his own."

"At the cost of an innocent life?"

Castiel nodded sadly, "It's a terrible thing, but the alternative?"

"At its worst, yes, but we can try!"

"There is no debate!" The Castellan interrupted, "This is how it shall - Castiel, look at me when I speak to you!"

The angel was no longer looking at either Time Lord; he was, instead, looking over at the far wall. Without any preamble, Castiel disappeared from their view in a flash of wind that The Doctor would later swear reminded him of the flapping of wings.

"Cass, Cass!" The Doctor called out.

"Did you know he could do that?" The Castellan demanded, his own stazer pistol drawn.

"I'm finding there's a great deal about this man that I know nothing about," The Doctor determined.

"Spread out," The Castellan ordered his men, "Find him!"

"No need," The Doctor determined, holding up his sonic screwdriver and scanning, "I have him...and..."

The Time Lord sprinted off as fast as a could, signaling the three others to take off after him. The Doctor rushed through the doorway nearest to Castiel, using his sonic screwdriver to push through it. In an alleyway to the side of the warehouse stood Castiel, and in front of him, dressed in faded and torn Time Lord robes, was a small girl, staring up at him in terror.

"It's alright," Castiel explained, "There are no...robots around her," he seemed a bit confused at that but pressed forward, "Little girl, we mean you no harm."

"S-stay back," she whispered, "I-I can't...control-"

"You will not harm me," Castiel whispered to her, bending down slightly to be at her eye level.

"Stay back!" The girl cried out, raising her hand slightly.

"Moran-"

Castiel was interrupted as the girl pushed her arm forward, out from her palm sprang a large cannon that The Doctor recognized immediately.

"Cass!"


	4. Chapter 4

The angel was hit by the beam of light, and in that moment, The Doctor knew real fear. Here was a man from his future, a man who would have a profound impact on his future if he was any judge, and here he was, about to die a painful death, all due to The Doctor's irresponsible nature. The Castellan was correct, of course. To bring him along was a risk to his own time line, the very kind of act that was always warned against.

And suddenly, his fear gave way to a sincere sense of disbelief. For there stood the man he knew as Castiel, unmoved by the vicious Dalek rays.

"Moran," Castiel moved forwardly gently, showing no sign that he had been hit as he laid his fingers on the girl's head.

The girl slumped forward, her cannon still protruding from her palm. Castiel caught her effortlessly, hoisting her up in his arms as he turned to face his companions.

"She missed?" The Castellan questioned, his gaze readily displaying the shock that he felt.

"She did not," The Doctor stated, his own face surely showing that same disbelief, "Castiel?"

"I'm fine, Doctor," Castiel stated, "Moran Tempus. That's the child's name. She's less than eight years old. She's been partially converted. There's something else..."

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver up and ran it over the blonde child, scanning her quickly. He let out a small gasp as he confirmed his readings and looked up at Castiel.

"There's a signal coming off her," he explained, "A Time Lord signal...she was commanded to come here, but she's been fighting it as hard as she could. Just not hard enough, I'm afraid."

"A Time Lord signal?" The Castellan questioned, "Guiding a Dalek puppet? Doctor, that makes no sense."

"Doesn't it, though?" The Doctor seethed, turning towards his fellow Time Lord, "Shall we return her to your facility?"

The Castellan nodded by instinct, barely attending to The Doctor's words. The group turned as one, marching back through the entrance into the main warehouse. Once inside, however, they were greeted by no fewer than twenty Time Lords dressed in the same armor as theirs, each armed with stazer rifles trailed on them.

"You dare?!" The Castellan demanded, casting an outraged eye on the group.

"Oh, they more than dare."

The Castellan, his men, The Doctor and Castiel turned as a newcomer joined them. Flanked on each side by a crimson robed aide strode in a white robed woman bearing the head ornament of all traditionalist Time Lords. Castiel looked on in confusion as the tone shifted from one of outrage to one of nervousness as all the Time Lords averted their gaze from the newcomer.

All except The Doctor, of course. The emerald clad man strode forward, distinctly unimpressed as he came before her.

"My Lady President," The Doctor greeted her.

"My Lord President," the woman returned, "Once again, you find yourself on the bad side of the presidency."

"A position which I proudly occupy, I assure you," The Doctor returned, folding his arms as he stared at her, "I take it it was you who activated the return signal?"

"That information is a matter of Gallifreyan security," the Lady President told him.

"Romana, ROMANA!" The Doctor blasted out suddenly, causing the woman to flinch slightly and almost all the soldiers to train their stazers on him, "Please, tell me, on anything that matters...you didn't do this to that poor girl, did you?"

Silence was his answer.

"No, no, no, no," The Doctor muttered, beside himself, "How-how could you? This was a child, a child!"

"A Gallifreyan orphan, the derelict of a pair of criminals," Romana stated, "It was theorized a child would be best for the study, so that is what we did."

"You can't be serious," The Castellan interjected, "The office of the Presidency authorized this?"

"And the Celestials, with whom you were once so keenly affiliated, facilitated," Romana informed, "Now, do be so kind as to hand her over."

"We're not done yet," The Doctor spoke softly, "What possible justification is there for this?"

"The Celestials have gathered intelligence that suggests the Daleks are nearing completion of a new form of control," Romana told him, "A nanocloud, Doctor."

The Castellan and The Doctor spared Castiel a glance, something that did not go unnoticed by the woman.

"I see you have a new companion," Romana stated, moving past The Doctor to examine the angel, "Have your preferences changed so much since your previous regeneration? You usually have a woman rather than a man."

"The Doctor and I, we aren't like...that," Castiel elaborated, feeling a very human sense of embarrassment as he did.

The woman eyed him up and down and uttered, "Pity."

"Romana, quit flirting with him and listen to me," The Doctor interrupted.

"Oh, yes, always about you, how silly of me," Romana turned back to The Doctor, "Frankly, Doctor, you should be thankful for my leniency. I could have you charged with treason, here and now."

"Fetch some manacles, then, I'd love to hear you explain it to the High Council!"

"There would be no need," Romana argued, "Executive powers, Doctor. You have been away a long time. We near the brink of war...we need strong, central leadership as we sail these dark waters."

"An Empress to face an Emperor," The Doctor argued, "Or did you forget the Daleks have one of those?"

Romana cast him a glare before turning back to Castiel, "Human, you will unhand the child immediately."

"I will not," Castiel stated, feeling protective of the girl in his arms.

"You will," Romana said confidently as an aide came forward, producing a ball bearing the Seal of Rassilon with a small button on it, "This is the trigger for her self-destruct system. If you do not release her to us, I will instruct her mechanics to end her."

Castiel hesitated, still unwilling to release her. He contemplated simply flying away with her, but that would likely land The Doctor in jail and require his rescue later. He glanced toward the renegade Time Lord and found himself surprised when he simply nodded to him. With a heavy heart, Castiel stepped forward and offered the child to Romana. The woman gestured to a soldier who immediately shouldered his weapon and stepped forward, jerking the child from Castiel. The angel cast him an angry stare as he walked away.

"Castellan," Romana spoke again, "The Doctor and his companion are no longer welcome on this colony. Kindly see them off."

The Castellan stared at her, not quite sure what to do. The woman glared at him, causing him to stiffen and simply nodded.

"Romana-"

"You have nothing to say to me, Doctor," the woman interrupted him, "While you go gallivanting off into the universe, there are those of us who must be left behind to clean up this mess. Go on, and who knows. You may very well be the last of us when all is said and done."

With that parting shot, Romana turned around and departed the room with as much regal discipline as she could muster. Letting out a relieved breath, The Castellan turned to the two travelers. Without a word, he motioned his men to lead them out of the building. Within minutes, the deadly silent group reached the large, blue box. The Doctor turned to The Castellan, ready to say something even as the snow began to worsen around them.

"Doctor," The Castellan spoke before he could, "The man who makes people better. It always fit you, I believed."

The Doctor closed his mouth, watching as his fellow Time Lord seemed to struggle internally before coming to a decision.

"Castellan means governor, the man charged with overseeing his home and the needs of his people...and I have clearly failed," he let out a weak breath, his voice breaking as he did so, "She was a child, certainly not older than ten. This is wrong, Doctor...and there is nothing I can do about it."

The Castellan locked eyes with The Doctor and spoke with iron in his voice, "Right now, I need you to be the man who makes people better. Do what you do best."

With that, The Castellan turned on his heel and marched off into the snow.


End file.
